“You design the building based on what the neighbourhood speaks to,” CEO Ryan Fenton says, noting he wanted his latest project to fit seamlessly into Toronto’s Parkdale community. To do that, it had to complement the surrounding Victorian homes of its residential address, while finding inspiration from the vibrancy of nearby Queen Street West.

The result was 57 Brock, a seven-storey boutique building.

“We made it more amenity-focused, more neighbourhood-focused,” says

Queen Street WestPeter J. Thompson / National Post

Fenton. “We assumed at the outset that we’d have more end users here.”

Located on Brock Avenue just north of Queen Street West, the mid-rise project — currently in pre-construction — will take over the site of a former Beer Store, offering buyers the chance to live in a residentially oriented community surrounded by low-rise homes. But West Queen West — an area of the city Vogue magazine once named one of the world’s “coolest” neighbourhoods — is just steps away, with restaurants and bars like the Parkdale Drink, the Rhino Bar & Grill and Cadillac Lounge nearby, and boutique shopping an easy walk away.

Open-concept condosSupplied

Block — a Toronto-based real estate investment and development firm — expects the location to draw a mix of purchasers looking to live in the local community. “From a stats standpoint, it’s 50/50,” Fenton says. “We have people downsizing who already live in the neighbourhood and then we’re seeing people who work in the core who don’t want to be directly on Queen Street. They want to be away from the noise of Queen West, but still be able to take the streetcar or walk to work.”

Featuring architecture by RAW Design, the building was styled to fit into that existing community, with a terraced design and red brick base that blends with the homes around it. The 94 units run the gamut from studio to two-bedroom-plus-den layouts, to appeal to the wide buyer mix, while two-storey, street-level townhouses and two-storey, top-level “Sky Towns” will be released at later dates. Sizes range from 501- to 1,200- square feet, with prices starting in the mid-$400,000s.

Fitness centreSupplied

“We paid a lot of attention to the unit layouts themselves, trying to make them livable,” Fenton adds. “And there was a lot of focus on how we could get the amenity spaces to play with the building.”

The site’s final curated list of amenities include two-and-a-half levels of outdoor patio, with barbecues and lounges, as well as a party room, dining/meeting room, fitness studio and dog washing station for all of the pet owners in the building. A new municipal park will also be introduced next door.

For buyers coming for the Queen West surroundings, those onsite amenities promise to complement what can already be found in the local area, adding to their sense of home. “It’s not like you’re buying a condo in the Financial District, where everything dies after 7 p.m.,” Fenton says. “Our focus was creating a community here, and when you fit into such a great neighbourhood to begin with it’s a little bit easier.”

To make sure they got all of the details right, Block took a collaborative approach to the project. In addition to RAW and the Toronto-based interior design firm Tomas Pearce Interior Design Consulting, they brought on a heritage architect to ensure their design complemented the surrounding Victorian-era homes and “fit into the existing character of the neighbourhood,” Fenton says. Consultations with the city and existing community also helped them come to a design that he feels fits the fabric of the area.

“You hope a site like this doesn’t become one of those ‘what is it doing here?’ buildings. You want it to blend in as if it’s always been part of the neighbourhood,” the developer says. “With such a strong community, you hope you don’t flip over the table and announce yourself too loudly.”

Currently in registration, sales at 57 Brock Condos are scheduled to begin in February 2019. To register, call 647-351-3825 or visit 57brockcondos.com. The sales office is located at 1502 Dundas St. W., Toronto and open Monday to Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. and weekends from noon to 5 p.m.

YOU ARE HERE

1. You never have to leave There’s a reason the Walk Score for this neighbourhood is 94. Eating options include everything from hole-in-the-wall Tibetan joints to rock’n’roll tacos to Mabel’s Bakery. There’s live music (or karaoke, if that’s your thing) at bars along Queen Street. The Theatre Centre is a three-minute walk away.

2. West Queen West — for kids Hip twentysomethings grow up and have families — and many of them stay here. Parkdale Junior and Senior Public School is just a five-minute walk from 57 Brock Condos, as is the family-friendly Parkdale Community Recreation Centre.

3. Parkdale lives up to its name In addition to the municipal park in development on Brock, Trinity Bellwoods Park is a few minutes east. Or take a walk to the nearby High Park to visit the resident capybaras.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has released its last budget before the fall federal election

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